Meal Monday
New year, new me. Right? As we all know, it's much more easily said than done. Don't know about you, but as this year begins, I'm facing down those last 15 pounds that I haven't yet lost since my 18-month-old son was born.
I am hopeful that the parenthood planets are starting to align in favor of healthy eating and living: Our recently improved sleeping patterns may mean I have the energy to get exercise back into my life. But as I've described in previous posts, healthy eating takes an additional push of focus and self-determination.
So, in preparing for my first full work week in 2010 – and for all the stress that my demanding work-life balance brings -- I have revisited some guidelines for eating well. In my pre-parenthood life, I lived by these principles. I'm hoping they'll work as well now.
Plan ahead. My husband and I have almost never varied from this one, and it has always paid off. We plan the week's meals and shop only once a week. That way, we've already invested in the week's food, and straying from that plan means an intentional deviation from the menu (often in the direction of higher calories), and additional cost. It's the culinary equivalent of a gym membership. Make the menu interesting, and leave room for some fun extras – maybe one night out, or a visit to the nearby bakery for dessert – but otherwise, stick to it. You will notice the difference.
Plan ahead, Corollary #1: Be flexible. I had to employ this principle just today. I had bought a small amount of lean ground beef for a low-fat meatball recipe that would make some tasty leftovers. But it was a crock-pot recipe that needed 6 hours of simmering and I didn't even think about dinner until 4 p.m. Oops. So, no meatballs. We had mini hamburgers instead, with some tasty veggie side dishes.
Plan ahead, Corollary #2: Pick one more complicated, interesting dish and make lots of it. Pick the day when you have a little extra time, and make the crock pot dish or the lasagna that day. Make lots of it, and plan to eat it a few times.
Put veggies center stage. Many have said it before me, but it can be difficult to remember, especially in the wake of several weeks of grandma's (delicious) meat-heavy cooking. Spend an extra few minutes with the "vegetarian main dishes" section of your favorite cookbook. You'll be surprised how satisfying they are. Start with one all-veggie dish, and for the rest of the week's meals, include lean meat, but make veggies the focal point, with a smaller portion of simply-cooked meat on the side.
... And the final corollary: Fall in love with non-meat sources of protein, especially fish and beans. Beans are SO GOOD for you. They're low fat (or non-fat), LOADED with fiber, and so easy to work into your life. Replace the meat of your favorite salad or soup with black beans or garbanzo beans and you make a huge improvement in that meal's nutrition label. You might be surprised by how much more full you feel.
Do it for the kids. My toddler wants everything I eat. The minute it's on my fork, he reaches for it. If I eat veggies, he eats veggies. There's no greater incentive for eating well.
In the coming weeks, I will share some recipes that I use in living out these guidelines. In the meantime, let me know if these resonate with you!
Happy New Year! Here's to healthy eating!
Healthy soups sound good to me right about now! It's always puzzling to me how you start a healthy eating plan in January, when your body is begging you to put on some fat to stay warm... but I like your suggestion to start small and sustainable. I will look into some of those vegetarian recipes!
Posted by: Katherine | Tuesday, January 05, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Love the soup Idea! great ideas
Posted by: Lorraine | Tuesday, January 05, 2010 at 04:13 PM